Lifewatch Ftc Matter

Lifewatch Inc.

FTC MATTER/FILE NUMBER: 142 3123

The Federal Trade Commission and the Florida Attorney General's office have filed a joint complaint regarding illegal robocalls by Lifewatch Inc. that promote "free medical alert systems" to senior citizens. These services actually have costs of $29.99 to $39.99 per month, however, these costs are deceptively hidden from customers. Last year, a telemarketing firm hired by Lifewatch Inc., Worldwide Info Services, was banned from conducting business by the Federal Trade Commission and the State of Florida.

Despite the shutdown, Lifewatch continued its deceptive practices with other telemarketing firms. “Some scammers won’t take a hint,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “When we sued Lifewatch’s telemarketers for making deceptive robocalls, they just continued the same illegal practices with new telemarketers. The FTC and the Florida Attorney General won’t be deterred, and will continue to work together to stop illegal robocalls.”

Lifewatch has continued to bombard seniors, even those on do-not-call-lists, with pre-recorded sales pitches. They use deceptive sales tactics to develop a sense of legitimacy. Many of these seniors live on fixed and or low incomes, and often rely on family members for assistance. Agencies are attempting to file preliminary injuctions, hoping to put an end to Lifewatch's robocalls.

I myself run a marketing agency online, and find it concerning how often such deceptive practices are used. Some companies are shameless in promoting their products, completely disregarding the lives of those they target. Thanks to the FTC, senior citizens should be less likely to be scammed as frequently in the future.